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Ross Pine
|birth = February 2, 2527 (Hudson, Tagusta Gulf)|gender = Male|height = 6' 11" (In armor)|hair = Black|eyes = Brown|cyber = |affiliation = * * ** ***Fireteam Eon|specialty = Sniper|status = Active|realname = Ross Zechariah Pine}}Spartan Ross Z. Pine (service number: 96612-75894-RP) is a supersoldier who formerly served with the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. He currently serves in Fireteam Eon as its executive officer and designated marksman under the callsign Eon Two. Early Life Ross Zechariah Pine was born in the city of Hudson, Tagusta Gulf on the colony of . His parents were social workers and they lived a relatively enjoyable lifestyle in a middle class neighborhood in Hudson's relaxed atmosphere. During his time in grade school, he was among a group of kids who constantly made fun of kids whose mothers and fathers died against the Covenant. However over time, he began to sympathize and at one point, lash out against the people he once called friends. Ross participated annually in the Tagusta Gulf State Fair Marksman Championship competition where he was crowned as the top marksman three years in a row. Several of his records, including the longest bulls-eye hit remain unbroken to this day. Military Career Ross graduated high school in 2545 and chose the Terra Nova Military College where he enrolled in their sniper school. Since Terra Nova was a relatively stable colony even during the Human-Covenant War, he was rotated through the army's hostage rescue teams during stakeouts against criminals. He was at the top of his class for sharpshooting, integrity and a reputation for being a well-disciplined pupil. Pine eventually transferred and underwent training for the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. He was assigned in the 18th Shock Troops Division where he was part of X-Ray Six in early 2547. Fall of Wroclaw Ross Pine and the rest of the 18th were stationed on Wroclaw in March 2547, charged with eliminating the United Rebel Front's activity. They were in the middle of an operation when the Covenant began their assault on the colony. There he used questionable tactics and equipment to battle forces under the command of Xah 'Erranee. In the early stages of the battle, X-Ray Six was responsible for fighting their way up to the San Marco Breath of Life General Hospital, which was in Code Crimson, being nearly overloaded with wounded, low on medical supplies and under siege from Covenant forces. Spartan Career Sometime after the Human-Covenant War, Pine accepted an offer to join the Spartan-IV Program. He was placed in Fireteam Eon of the 37th Special Shock Development Group as the designated marksman under the command of Anthony Lusana. Eon undertook several clandestine and covert operations against both emerging Insurrection and Covenant remnant factions on a dozen worlds along with Spartans Brett Fowler and Marcus Austal. In April of 2558, Pine was questioned by Section Zero Agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence over the allegation that he and the rest of X-Ray Six used classified experimental technology while on Wroclaw to battle Covenant forces. Personality and Traits Like many veteran snipers, Ross Pine exhibits similar characteristics of being difficult to crack under pressure. Non-confrontational, he is known as the peacekeeper on the team and stepping in to break up tension between the team (or even others who instigate the other Spartans) When he was younger, he was shown to be more belligerent, egotistical and completely disregarding the hardships of those around him. He would later abandon this viewing, citing that "That was the old selfish me". Ross has refused to elaborate on his change of heart, but insists that it was for the better. He is notably social and outgoing for a sniper, reaching out to the more withdrawn and can get them to open up about traumatic experiences. In much contrast to his younger self, he is highly protective of orphans and other children that the team encountered and has demonstrated multiple times that he would not hesitate to give his life to save theirs. On Wroclaw, he would befriend a wounded young girl named Janelle, who had lost her parents in the fighting. He remained by her side while she was treated at a hospital and going the extra step to ensure she was on a transport safely off-world. The two of them would be reunited later in 2558. Pine cites his skills and inspirations from , having watched many films of her in action and studying her habits to further improve his technique, even after being trained by the best Terra Nova and UNSC sniper instructors. He has declared that if the two of them were to cross paths, he would buy her a drink "If she drank, that is" and hope that some of her legendary marksmanship skills would rub off on him through tips. When Eon relaxes at a bar, Pine frequents the pool tables and dartboards, the latter in which he is unsurprisingly good at. Ross exhibits notable sensitivity to sound. While it is instrumental in detecting threats as well as timely saves from surprise attacks, it also somewhat hinders his ability to sleep well. Skills and Abilities * Marksmanship: Ross is capable of shooting targets at any range with incredible accuracy. He pays attention to the smallest details and leaves no variable unaccounted for. There had been accounts in his Hostage Rescue, ODST and Spartan careers where he had hit his target in conditions even battle tested snipers would find difficult or even impossible. Despite his superior sniping abilities, he is humble enough to rightfully praise Linda-058 in exceeding his own skills. Ross is capable of shooting by himself without the aid of a spotter. * Leadership: Relationships and Family * Marissa Bourne: 'Ross and Marissa had met sometime before 2547 when both were assigned in X-Ray Six. During the Fall or Wroclaw, they on occasion flirted casually with one another in the battle's early stages, although it was absent during the more difficult times of their deployment and kept it under wraps to avoid being disciplined. Still, the other members of X-Ray Six were aware of their mutual attraction and lightly teased them both about it. Ross married Marissa in 2548 after she decided to retire from the service. They have one son, Donovan who was born in 2550. They are expecting a girl in mid-2558. * 'Anthony Lusana: Pine greatly respects his leader and can read him quickly, especially when his plans initially do not make sense. Similarly, their families are close with one another. * Brett Fowler: Fowler and Pine are good friends. He is usually nearby since Brett's open-mindedness often causes tension from others. Many times he has had to step in and diffuse the conflict, primarily for the other person's sake. Fowler has jokingly stated that he often starts escalating in these antics to see how quickly Pine is capable of calming things down. Despite this, Fowler has often risked his own life to make sure Pine is still capable of fighting. * Marcus Austal: Pine and Austal are good friends with the two often exchanging humorous banter when not on the field. He is the first to understand Ross' situation during the sudden questioning of his actions on Wroclaw and the first to go back to the devastated colony for the unsanctioned mission despite the ramifications that could potentially jeopardize both their careers. * Blake Bailey: Pine was the first of Eon to openly welcome Bailey to the fireteam, although he was questioning her sudden transfer that scrambled the team's longtime integrity. When she proved herself on the field after Eon's stay on Infinity and in the time afterwards, he quickly saw that she made a better fit with Eon than her original assigned fireteam. Ross had been the first to vouch for her permanent transfer to the 37th SSDG. Equipment Pine formerly wore the Recon-class GEN2 MJOLNIR. As of Eon's requisitions in 2558, he currently wears a charcoal gray and blue Deadeye-class armor outfitted with long range target elimination software as well as the latest threat awareness instruments. His typical armament is an SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle and an M6H2 magnum. Trivia * Pine is the main playable character of the upcoming Halo: Helljumper's Tribunal during both campaigns. He is armed with an SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle and an M6H2 Magnum. Appearances * Venomous Honor (first appearance) * Crossfire * Brimstone Rising * Halo: Helljumper's Tribunal